A Godless Nation rejecting it Roots

 

A Godless Nation rejecting it Roots

 

December 29, 2020

 

Judges 9:7-15

 

 When it was told to Jotham, he went and stood on top of Mount Gerizim and cried aloud and said to them, “Listen to me, you leaders of Shechem, that God may listen to you.   The trees once went out to anoint a king over them, and they said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’   But the olive tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my abundance, by which gods and men are honored, and go hold sway over the trees?’   And the trees said to the fig tree, ‘You come and reign over us.’   But the fig tree said to them, ‘Shall I leave my sweetness and my good fruit and go hold sway over the trees?’   And the trees said to the vine, ‘You come and reign over us.’   But the vine said to them, ‘Shall I leave my wine that cheers God and men and go hold sway over the trees?’   Then all the trees said to the bramble, ‘You come and reign over us.’   And the bramble said to the trees, ‘If in good faith you are anointing me, king, over you, then come and take refuge in my shade, but if not, let fire come out of the bramble and devour the cedars of Lebanon.’

 

 I’m sure, that Jotham, has understanding and wisdom much greater than the people of his time, or the people of 2020.  He used trees, vines, and bramble.  The olive and fig understood why God had made them, and the joy they brought both to God and mankind.  They were not about to leave this to rule over anyone, for they were satisfied and content with who they were.  But the bramble had no understanding of why it was on planet earth, so it left its place with foolish joy to be king over the trees.  Do you understand its vines would cover them, steal and kill and destroy many of them, and also become a tool to only take but not give anything in return?

 

It is clear in Scripture that man has always longed for a king to rule over them, so God allows them and us to have our desires met, with this warning; found in 1 Samuel 8:11-18.  “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots.   And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots.  He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers.  He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants.  He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants.   He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work.   He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves.   And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”  

 

The people then and also the people of 2020, are very foolish, godless people who rejected God and cried out that we want a king.  As we enter into this year of 2021, the people of the United States have spoken, we need big government to rule our lives, we do not need a bill of rights, we do not need the Constitution, nor do we need God.  We need socialism, free stuff, and I believe God is saying, I will allow them to have this and more, but I will no longer be their God, and they will no longer be my people.

 

For God’s people have allowed the world to mold them, they are lukewarm and not hot or cold, and God said, “I will spit them out of my mouth.”

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice